I’ve been fightin’ for tomorrow all my life

Shortly after Wednesday, November 5th, 2008, I changed my iPhone ringtone to “It’s A New Day” by will.i.am and I haven’t changed it since then. Over the past few weekends, whenever our GOTV canvassers called me in our Obama campaign office, my back pocket would ring out with that oh-so-perfect tune.

So much in the lyrics of will.i.am’s song resonated with me in 2008 and still do today, particularly this part:

If you and I made it this far,
Well then hey, we can make it all the way
And they said no we can’t
And we said yes we can
Remember it’s you and me together

I woke up this morning
Feeling alright
I’ve been fightin’ for tomorrow
All my life
Yeah, I woke up this morning
Feeling brand new
Cause the dreams that I’ve been dreaming
Have finally came true

With the victories of Barack Obama and Joe Biden, Elizabeth Warren, Claire McCaskell, and Tammy Baldwin nationally along with my new State House Representative Gretchen Driskell, our newest member of the Michigan Supreme Court Bridget Mary McCormack, and our new Circuit Court Judge Carol Kuhnke here in Michigan, women, in particular, had a HUGE night last night. So much of what transpired was a stinging rebuke of archaic thinking.

Here in Michigan, we saw the Emergency Manager law go down in flames, striking a blow for democracy, even when it’s not perfect and pretty and tidy.

Yeah, we lost a few races and lost some important ballot proposals. But, for the most part, we took a huge step toward turning our country’s and my state’s direction around and pointed toward the future.

i slept so well last night! the em was a sucess with good wording and an answer of NO! hats off to you and the many who have worked so hard!

wavingcrosser/Lynn

Chris & Anne are two of the hardest working progressives I have the pleasure of knowing and I salute your hard work. Your blog supports us with useful information, opinion and photographic excellence. Most importantly, you support the progressive community with action and service. Our civic duty doesn’t stop at the voting booth and it is imperative to continue to stay informed and engaged. My hopes are you will relish today and understand how much you inspire others and are appreciated in the broader community we share. “Eclectablog” is an indispensable part of my day.

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Michigan Governor Rick Snyder has admitted to knowing about the poisoning of Flint's drinking water with lead. Despite this, there are STILL Flint residents who cannot drink their tap water without the use of a water filter.

Mitchell Robinson is associate professor and chair of music education at Michigan State University. His research is focused on music education and education policy. Follow him on Facebook HERE and Twitter at @mrobmsu. His own blog is at MitchellRobinson.net.

Tawana “Honeycomb” Petty is a mother, social justice organizer, youth advocate, poet and author. She was born and raised in Detroit, Michigan and is intricately involved in water rights, digital justice and visionary organizing work in Detroit. You can learn more about Tawana "Honeycomb" Petty by visiting honeycombthepoet.com. She's on Twitter at @CombsThePoet.